Death Heavy Metal

Although Anzio's 20mm aerial bomb penetrated the enemy, Yexiya had already been severely wounded by artillery fire. The bullet failed to finish off the weakened enemy, making it equally humiliating!

The second battle on Snail Island was even worse: Yexiya, having learned her lesson, was now equipped with armor and Refraction Shield, making it even more difficult to penetrate her defenses from a distance.

The report also mentioned that the UTS-15 shotgun used by Su Ming was too inefficient in eliminating the Naga warriors who boarded the ship, which was also a disgrace!

Conclusion: Increase the rate of fire or power!

****

So, this fear of insufficient firepower means they're not going to let me off the hook even in another world?! Su Ming thought to himself.

However, he finally understood the core message of the report, "So you want me to switch to domestic products, right?"

Ling Wen placed a black box on the table, opened it, and took out a seemingly ordinary rifle.

Su Ming took the gun and was surprised to find that the barrel was abnormally thick. He removed the magazine and found it was filled with seven 12-gauge shotgun shells. He was immediately shocked, "Fully automatic!?"

"Yes, Class QBA221 uses shotguns," Ling Wen replied. "The people from the Academy of Academy of Agricultural Sciences want you to test their effectiveness in actual combat."

"No problem!" Su Ming agreed without hesitation. It was the first time he had ever heard of this type of weapon. A fully automatic 18.3mm rapid-fire shotgun with a magazine reload. If you used it in a shooting game, it would be considered a cheat.

The next one is the 100mm smoothbore cannon.

Analysts, disdainful of Su Ming's incomplete system and logistical capabilities, recommended equipping the train with this weapon to complete its firepower.

Su Ming didn't mind having two more cannons, but he had other ideas.

"Modify the loading system," Su Ming said. "Add a rotating drum magazine to the rear, so it can be directly loaded and fired. The simpler, the better!"

Ling Wen was stunned for a moment, "If you modify it like this, won't it just become a super-sized revolver!"

"That's right!" Su Ming replied, "The drumsticks should also be designed with six shots."

Su Ming planned to create several special undead creatures, each the size of a vehicle, to carry these large-caliber firearms.

He'd even come up with a name: Bone-Style Self-Propelled Gun!

****

Inside the workshop, Su Ming and Newman walked up to the smoothbore cannon. These dark metal parts had sharp edges and emitted a chilling light. The rotating drum magazine still bore traces of damage caused by hasty processing.

Newman extended his bone claws and gently tapped the cannon barrel, producing a crisp metallic echo.

"The craftsmanship is truly astonishing!" he exclaimed, his fingers gently tracing the smooth interior. "Compared to the most advanced weapons the dwarves possess, they seem like children's clay Doll!"

"These two sets of cannons were originally meant for you," Su Ming told Newman.

Su Ming had long harbored the idea of Bone-Style Self-Propelled Gun. Unfortunately, the undead Saint Rank mage's abilities in undead design and modeling were truly appalling.

With Newman's involvement, the plan can finally be implemented.

"This cannon is indeed powerful." Newman tapped the spinning drum with his bone claws, producing a metallic clang. "But ordinary undead units probably wouldn't even last a single exchange against a high-ranking warrior." He advised, "Unless you can overwhelm them with numbers and establish a large-scale tactic, it will be difficult to create an effective deterrent."

"So how do you want to use it?" Su Ming asked.

"Mount these two cannons on the train first!" Newman's eyes flickered with a ghostly blue light. "But as for the installation location, I want it to be exactly as I envision it!"

After a moment's thought, Su Ming nodded in agreement.

****

The temporary sheds were quickly dismantled, and all the bone materials were stored in the special carriages. After everyone completed the reorganization of the train, Su Ming hung the "Youth Civilization" nameplate above the obstacle removal shovel at the front of the train.

Night had already fallen, and when the searchlights came on, the road ahead was instantly illuminated as brightly as day.

"All systems and equipment are operating normally!" Younier reported.

"All magic arrays are functioning stably," Zijin confirmed after closing her eyes and sensing the surroundings.

"The radar system is functioning normally," Hansite reported.

The upgraded Youth Civilization, in addition to the main vehicle consisting of three sets of tracks at the front, also has an auxiliary vehicle with a single set of tracks in the middle and rear of the vehicle. The five sets of tracks work together, greatly improving the train's ability to traverse complex terrain.

Within minutes, this behemoth, pulled by the new locomotive, easily accelerated to a speed of 20 kilometers per hour.

"Reduce boiler power, maintain current speed," Su Ming ordered.

Following the ancient riverbed from which they had come, the Youth Civilization began to turn back and continue westward.

As they approached Peacock Gully, Su Ming chose a new route, deliberately avoiding the area where previous battles had taken place. Rather than sending skeleton soldiers to check for landmines, it was better to completely bypass the dangerous area.

The train's journey was somewhat bumpy as a result, but its speed remained stable. Thanks to the characteristics of electric propulsion, the Youth Civilization has made a qualitative leap in its climbing ability. Ordinary terrain no longer poses a problem.

As the various indicators stabilized, everyone gradually adapted to operating the new locomotive. Su Ming ordered a gradual increase in speed, and an hour later, the train reached a speed of thirty kilometers per hour.

"Maintain this speed, run it for one night," Su Ming instructed, "To give the mechanical parts time to break in."

He told everyone else to go and rest, leaving only himself and Hansite to keep watch.

****

The Doomsday Locomotive no longer has the clanging and rattling noise of cylinder-driven wheels. The boiler and generator areas have also been soundproofed, making the cab much quieter now.

Su Ming then remembered something that had been put on hold—he hadn't yet fulfilled Hansite's request for an instrument.

He contacted Miao Xin, asking, "[Could you get some metal-stringed instruments?]"

Miao Xin has now left Precision Machinery Heavy Industries Machinery Plant.

Since the mastermind behind this has not yet been identified, it is always safer to disengage and maintain mobility unless absolutely necessary.

Ling Wen did not forcibly stop them. She made a request: the company's senior management hoped to meet with them to discuss and hold a formal meeting.

Su Ming agreed. He had been wondering why the "company" hadn't made any moves yet. Upon reflection, he realized that this might be a gesture of goodwill from the higher-ups, giving him ample time to complete the deployment of the Doomsday Locomotive.

Su Ming naturally appreciated this gesture and agreed to meet, but postponed the meeting by three days.

We're almost there, and it could greatly increase Miao Xin's safety.

[Do you need a musical instrument to play?] Miao Xin took out her phone and searched for relevant information.

"It's pretty much the same equipment the band uses," Su Ming replied.

Miao Xin browsed the search results for a while and realized she knew absolutely nothing about musical instruments. So she simply went directly to a music store and went there to buy them.

Before long, the shop owner realized that a newbie who didn't care about money had come in, and immediately started to promote the product in the Hanging River manner.

Unable to bear it any longer, Miao Xin activated her Nether Sea Domain, and the shopkeeper immediately became as quiet as a chicken.

[What kind of new use is this?] Su Ming glanced sideways.

"[Use the power of the Nether Sea to overwhelm his emotions and reason.]" Miao Xin replied, "[That way, he'll answer whatever he's asked.]"

She immediately demonstrated, asking the shop owner to fetch the best metal stringed instruments in the store. The shop owner mechanically brought out a top-of-the-line electric guitar and electric bass, along with matching professional-grade amplifiers and effects pedals, and even wrote down the purchase price list accurately.

"[That's great.]" Su Ming exclaimed sincerely. This skill was perfect for someone like him who felt awkward shopping in physical stores. He really wished he had had it back on Earth.

However, he noticed that although the shop owner's expression was blank, there was a hint of fear in his eyes. [It seems like there are side effects?]

[The impact on the calm state of the Nether Sea is very minor.] Miao Xin didn't hide anything, [At most, I'll have nightmares for a few days.]

Since Su Ming had absolutely no idea what the difference was between a guitar and a bass, he made Miao Xin buy both.

Considering that these instruments came from Earth, Hansite couldn't have learned them without a teacher, so he asked the shop owner to provide detailed instructional materials.

Without saying a word, the shop owner immediately brought out a USB drive and copied a large number of professional tutorials.

"[There should also be sheet music, right?]" Miao Xin reminded her. "[Earth's musical instruments probably can't play music from another world.]"

Su Ming thought it made sense. "Do you have any sheet music recommendations that are suitable for beginners and have beautiful melodies?" he asked the shop owner.

The shop owner then copied a folder labeled "Dearth Medal" into the USB drive.

Miao Xin packed up all the items, leaving behind tens of thousands of yuan in cash. She found a secluded spot for Su Ming to complete the teleportation, and Hansite was finally able to get his new musical instrument.

Su Ming didn't need to worry about using it. Hansite picked up the pick, studied it for a bit, and quickly learned the basic operations of the plucked string instrument.

"Mr. Su, why are these instruments so quiet?" Hansite asked, puzzled. "Is it a characteristic of your plane?"

Su Ming quickly flipped through the instruction manual and discovered that he had bought an electric musical instrument, which needed to be amplified by a pickup and output through an amplifier to work properly. The bass also came with professional effects pedals. He patiently taught Hansite how to connect the power supply and audio cables and how to change the equipment parameters.

Hansite put on his monitoring headphones, plucked the strings a few more times, and then a look of satisfaction appeared on his face.

****

The night was spent dealing with sporadic malfunctions and troubleshooting.

Gospel is very "inept" at operating the touch panel, and can only perform some simple tasks; complex ones require the assistance of Su Ming and Hansite.

However, this was expected – the new locomotive system is significantly more complex and does indeed require coordinated control.

Reassuringly, the Gospel adapted quickly to the control of direction and speed, demonstrating competent driving skills.

However, the operational issues caused by the touchscreen are not insurmountable. Su Ming made a detailed record of some areas that needed optimization and sent it to the engineers for software upgrades.

As the system gradually stabilized in the latter half of the night, Su Ming didn't push himself and slept for a while. He was only woken up when Newman and Younier came to relieve him in the morning.

"Gospel, increase the speed to 35 kilometers per hour." Su Ming glanced at his watch and gave the order.

The Gospel is being accelerated according to its word.

The locomotive accelerated smoothly. Su Ming checked the boiler data and found there was still considerable room for improvement.

But there's no need for that. As speed increases, resistance will rise exponentially, and energy consumption per unit kilometer will increase dramatically. Su Ming did some mental calculations and figured that at the current speed, he could reach his destination in about five days of continuous driving.

Younier tallied last night's coal consumption and found that although the speed had increased, the coal consumption per unit time had actually decreased. Electric drive and distributed power layout have indeed significantly improved energy efficiency.

Newman did the math, "You don't actually lack fuel."

The upgraded locomotives have enough coal left.

"I know," Su Ming nodded in acknowledgment.

"So, are we still going to Compton Forest to get more charcoal?"

"Of course I'll go," Su Ming smiled slightly, "Because this car will get fat."

"Are you talking about me?" Zijin's voice suddenly came from the driver's side door.

Su Ming turned around and his eyes lit up. Today, the scholar was wearing an elegant preppy-style long dress. The thick wool fabric had a natural drape, which perfectly outlined the girl's slender waist.

It seems that because there were suddenly many more people on the bus, Zijin has started refreshing her limited-time skins again.

"No!" Su Ming quickly denied, "I meant this car."

That's me too!

"..."

While Su Ming was talking, he had already habitually taken out his phone. At this moment, he noticed that the girl's hair was tied into an exquisite braid. This was the first time he had seen the scholar with such a hairstyle - she rarely put so much effort into her hair.

Zijin clearly noticed his little actions, rolled her eyes at him in annoyance, but did not stop him.

****

The skeleton servants followed, bringing in two bags of alchemical materials. Inside were many polished Magic Crystal Core, and Zijin grabbed one.

"We plan to carry out the second phase of magical transformation on the move," Zijin explained to Su Ming. "We're preparing to stabilize some defensive spells, which is Newman's forte."

The half-human skeleton beside him straightened its spine, a smug look on its face. "Don't worry, with these top-quality items, the motorcycle's protection will be greatly improved. A few more of those landmines you encountered last time won't hurt!"

"Thank you for your hard work!" Su Ming said.

"The price is quite high," Zijin said. She held her hand up to her eyes, the Magic Crystal Core shimmering with a captivating luster in the morning light. "The leftover material from the last cutting, plus the remaining crystal core ore, will all be used up."

Su Ming glanced at Zijin, "Do you dare let me check the pillows in your room?"

"... mean!"

Zijin pouted, her childlike expression contrasting sharply with her formal attire. Su Ming rarely saw such a contrasting scholar.

He looked away somewhat awkwardly. "Good luck, you guys. I'm going to have breakfast now." With that, he left the driver's seat.

****

Pushing open the door of the food cart, the aroma of fried eggs and bacon wafted out. Standing in front of the stove, cooking, was Ge'enda'er. The sight of this serious, middle-aged priest wearing an apron seemed somewhat incongruous.

Especially his rolled-up sleeves, which revealed bulging muscles underneath.

Ever since he and Jielusi boarded the train, Zijin had specially arranged a living compartment for them next to the dining car. The two of them usually stayed quietly in that area and never ventured into areas that might involve technical secrets.